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Topic: What's the most important thing to learn about chemistry?  (Read 5367 times)

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Offline Sylvain

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What's the most important thing to learn about chemistry?
« on: September 14, 2007, 06:31:55 PM »
Ok, a little easy question.
I'm looking to study and learn about chemistry.

What's the most important thing to learn about chemistry?
If i go at the library, what the most important subject i need to study.

I'm at High school level, college in 3 month's.

Thank you.

Offline enahs

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Re: What's the most important thing to learn about chemistry?
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2007, 06:53:19 PM »
Anything and everything in a General Chemistry book. Any good general chemistry book.

If you are looking for a text book in the library, anything with "General Chemistry" should be suitable in the title.

If you have very little money to spend, You can just get a Schaums outline for College Chemistry, latest 9th edition at Amazon for less then $13. It is a no frills book, but will provide you with a ton of info and the basics.

Heck you can get a Schaums outline for college chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry and physical chemistry and have %85 of the information at hand to get a B.S. in chemistry for less then $50.

Having the information and being able to learn and use it are different things.

Offline Sev

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Re: What's the most important thing to learn about chemistry?
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2007, 07:09:52 PM »
If you're completely new to chemistry I would recommend learning the basics of chemical bonding and maybe stoichiometry.

Offline rkaminski

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Re: What's the most important thing to learn about chemistry?
« Reply #3 on: September 14, 2007, 07:21:44 PM »
Physics (!) and mathematics (!), that's for sure and than you can try to understand chemical electronic structure. Without this all chemistry is only mixing chemicals without understanding principles and any further outcome.

Offline constant thinker

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Re: What's the most important thing to learn about chemistry?
« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2007, 07:52:38 PM »
To add my two cents...

Knowing how to use a periodic table, not just look at it say H that's Hydrogen. To understand what the position of an element means can really speed things up (electron configuration, how reactive it is in general, valence electrons, metal/nonmetal/metalloid, some general physical and chemical properties).

Enahs probably has the best solution though. A good general chemistry book is plenty enough to get you started. It should have all the basic types of bonds and forces, electron configurations, maybe a chapter on the periodic table, stoichiometry, basic laws, atomic structure, some acid/base stuff, and probably a brief intro to organic chemistry.
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Offline Sylvain

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Re: What's the most important thing to learn about chemistry?
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2007, 08:35:35 PM »
Thank you very much for you answers.
Easy question, easy answer

It's not easy to explain what i want to tell in english, but i will try!
I'm german/french.

I finished my high school last month, first i plan to go at college in 'sciences'
the name of the program is ' natural sciences '  After i'm looking to complete a
university grade in Biochemistry and make my carreer in the medical industry.

Now i want to 'impress' myself and by the way my professor, and be functionnal with chemistry in general to be more effective in my course and in my general carrer.

For you i'm beginner for sure, but i possess the 'reinforced highschool chemistry courses'.  I have a very light basic knowledge of chemistry if i compare with everything i find in this forum.

 ::)


Thank you for your time and your quick answer.

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